Chapter 128: Taking the Initiative and Taking Down Daki!
The moment those words were spoken, the air fell completely silent, sinking into a long, deathly stillness.
Makio stammered, "Th-Three...?"
Hinatsuru said, "It seems our thinking was far too simple."
Suma weakly raised her hand. "Can I take back what I just said?"
Smack!
A moment later, Suma received another slap on the head!
Suma's eyes immediately turned red from crying.
"Makio, I hate you!"
To her surprise, however, Makio sternly said, "The Dragon Hashira is speaking, Suma. Don't interrupt!"
Hinatsuru frowned and looked at Ren.
"Dragon Hashira, what should we do now?"
Ren thought for a moment.
"It's simple. We can deal with them one by one. But killing all three Upper Ranks is unrealistic, so our primary target should be the Upper Rank that has been living in the Entertainment District for a long time."
Suma blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Ren smiled mysteriously.
"I mean that this time, we'll strike and run. As long as that Upper Rank dies, there won't be any more deaths in the Entertainment District for a long time."
Makio asked, "Then which one?"
Ren suddenly raised his head, his gaze locking onto a certain direction.
He had already used his Rewind State the previous night to determine one particular location.
"Our primary target is Upper Rank Six—Daki."
Night fell, and the air was cool and fresh.
The bitter winter wind lashed against people's faces like heavy whips, bringing sharp bursts of pain.
In the Entertainment District, pedestrians once again put on two extra layers of clothing before heading out into the streets as usual, blending into the bustling crowds.
Along the roadside, the courtesans stood watch.
Whenever some of them spotted a handsome man, they would boldly flirt with the customers passing through the streets.
At the Kyogoku House, every oiran had her own performances and duties.
But there were exceptions.
Inside the Kyogoku House, a timid little girl pushed open a door.
Half of her face remained hidden behind it, concealing the faint scars on her cheek.
With a trace of fear in her voice, she said,
"Lady Daki, the new proprietress wants you to come downstairs..."
"Hm?"
Daki turned around impatiently.
"Then tell that old hag that I'm in a bad mood today. I'm not going downstairs."
"If Lady Daki doesn't come down, I won't have anything to eat tonight..."
The girl's voice grew quieter and quieter. She didn't even dare to raise her head and look at Daki.
The veins on Daki's forehead bulged.
"Oh? What does that have to do with me? Didn't you understand what I said? I told you I'm not going down!"
"But..."
The little girl had just opened her mouth when she immediately shut it again.
She could tell that Lady Daki was angry.
And at the Kyogoku House, knowing better than to anger Lady Daki was practically common sense.
Just as the girl was about to leave, Daki suddenly called out,
"Wait."
The girl stopped and stiffly turned around.
"Lady Daki, is something wrong?"
The only response she received was two cold words.
"Come in."
The girl hesitated for a long time before finally stepping inside.
Daki immediately stood up and walked toward the doorway.
The moment the girl entered the room, Daki grabbed her by the ear.
She pulled hard.
"Ahhh—!"
The girl screamed, but Daki immediately slapped her across the face.
"So noisy. Shut up!"
The girl immediately clamped her mouth shut.
Daki glared at her resentfully.
"You're such an ugly little monster. What a disgusting thing. You'd better die soon."
That's right.
Daki had noticed the scars on the girl's face.
They were simply too ugly.
The frustration she had accumulated tonight had finally reached its limit. The Upper Rank needed somewhere to vent her anger, and the only thing she could do was bully children.
"Lady Daki! What are you doing?!"
Suddenly, the proprietress appeared from nowhere.
Seeing Daki causing trouble again, she immediately stepped forward to stop her.
"Leave her alone. If she weren't desperate, this child wouldn't have come here."
Daki coldly turned toward the proprietress.
"So you're the one who told me to come downstairs?"
The proprietress gave a cold smile.
She had done her research before coming here.
She had long heard that the oiran of the Kyogoku House was arrogant and domineering, and that she didn't even respect the previous proprietress.
But she hadn't believed that an oiran would actually dare defy her own proprietress!
That was why she had immediately accepted the position when the Kyogoku House approached her.
She had a particular hobby of conquering every oiran under her authority.
But on her very first day, she realized she had been wrong.
She hadn't even caught a glimpse of Lady Daki.
Daki slept during the day and stayed in her room at night whenever she was in a bad mood.
Several days passed, and the proprietress still hadn't seen her.
This isn't as simple as I imagined.
As an experienced professional, the proprietress could distinguish genuine things from false ones at a glance.
The cold gaze and ruthless manner of this oiran were completely different from the spoiled and pampered courtesans she was accustomed to dealing with.
And from the moment Daki had grabbed the girl's ear...
The proprietress had seen something familiar in Daki.
A reflection of herself.
She had encountered a formidable opponent!
But now that she was here, there was no reason for her to back down.
The new proprietress suppressed her anger and gritted her teeth.
"Yes. You haven't come downstairs for more than a week. The customers are very unhappy. Please don't cause trouble for us..."
There was obvious dissatisfaction in the proprietress's voice.
Daki's prolonged neglect had seriously affected her profits.
Today, she was going to teach this oiran a lesson!
"Oh?"
Daki grinned before releasing the child in front of her.
But before the proprietress could breathe a sigh of relief, she saw the Upper Rank immediately walk toward her and grab her by the ear.
The new proprietress:
"..."
"Who do you think you are?"
Daki sneered.
"You're just a half-old woman, yet you dare order me around?"
The proprietress became furious as well.
"As an oiran, your duty is to work at the Kyogoku House. Do I really need to remind you of that?"
Daki fell silent for a moment.
Killing intent was already rising within her.
Fortunately, Gyutaro spoke from inside her.
"That's enough, enough, Ume. She's just an old hag."
I'll kill her for you later.
For now, don't be impatient. We should find Ren first and calm Lord Muzan's anger.
"I've just received word from Hantengu. He'll be coming to find us soon. Apparently, he's already found Ren's whereabouts."
Daki's fingers tightened slightly, and her expression turned icy.
She held the proprietress up by the neck until the woman could barely breathe before finally releasing her.
She merely said coldly,
"Don't let me see you again."
"Get out!"
"I-I'm leaving! I'm leaving!"
The proprietress was so terrified that her soul nearly left her body. She scrambled toward the stairs on all fours.
Daki turned around as well, intending to return to her room.
But just then, the proprietress suddenly turned around and walked back.
Then she called out again,
"Ah, dear Daki~"
Daki froze in place.
She was so furious that she almost laughed.
"What? Didn't I tell you to get out? Did you get lost?"
Hearing this, the proprietress stammered,
"N-No. There's a customer looking for you. He says he can't wait any longer!"
"No need. I've already come up."
At that moment, a young man dressed in white had somehow already reached the upper floor.
His face was clean and handsome, his manner elegant, and the smile on his lips was as warm as the spring breeze in March.
Ren?!
Daki's heart screamed in shock.